Basketball Drills for Beginners: 6 Simple Drills for Shooting, Finishing, and Handles

Everybody wants something. Deep range. A tight handle. That crafty finishing package around the rim. But you've got to start somewhere, and that's the whole point of this video from Coach Meech.

Six simple drills. Two for shooting, two for finishing, two for ball handling. He uses these with his youth players, and they're built so a beginner can start today and keep making them harder as you get better.

Want to know which part of your game to hit first? Find your training strategy with our free training quiz.

1. Form shots with your nose under the rim

Your shot starts right in front of the rim. Not a step or two back. Right there.

A lot of kids walk up, chuck it, make a couple and call it form shooting. Coach Meech isn't having that. Lock in, pay attention.

Nose underneath the rim. Weird at first? Kind of. On purpose though. From there, you're forced to get the right arc and forced to flick your wrist, because otherwise the ball won't get over the top of the rim. Later on, when you're stepping back behind the three, you'll be glad you've got that wrist flick and that arc.

You'll use three spots, one on each side of the rim and one right in the middle. Nice and close. Low, hands right, flick.

Ten makes a spot. Want it harder? Instead of just making 10, swish 10 in each spot.

If you're not sure where your hands should go, our breakdown of basketball shooting hand placement walks through it.

2. The hop and dribble range drill

Once your form shots are done, you start working your range out. Slowly.

Start somewhere in the paint and get low. Take a small hop forward, and dribble the ball at the same time you hop. Pound it hard. Then catch it and raise into your shot.

Why the dribble? You use the momentum from the ball to go into your shot. That lets you move the ball faster, which helps a lot once you're further out.

In the paint you don't really have to jump. Just go to your toes, flick your wrist, shoot. Back up to the mid-range, though, and now you'll probably want to actually jump into it.

The structure is simple:

• Start in a spot. Hop, dribble, shoot.

• Make three.

• Then back up.

Keep going until you hit a spot where you're missing more than you usually do. That's your stopping point. Coach Meech's example: he's knocking shots down in the middle, gets all the way to the three, and starts missing there. So that's where he stays and builds up his range.

Too easy? Hop backwards instead. Get low, hop back, pound dribble, raise into your shot. Same setup, make three and step back. Now you're working on balance and range at the same time.

3. Backboard tosses into a finish

This one's for the kids who want to finish crafty around the rim.

Stand close to the rim, right next to the backboard. With one hand, throw the ball off the glass and catch it with one hand. Do it three times. On the third catch, you go up and finish.

And all of it's happening in the air. You jump, catch, pass it back off the board. Jump, catch, pass. Third one, catch and finish.

"I'm pretty sure all of us can just stand here and just shoot the ball nice and easy," he says. That's the point. Regular layups like that don't really challenge you. This challenges your catch and your finish together.

Do it on both sides, left and right hand. Make three on each side. When that gets too simple, make it three in a row.

4. Up and unders, with the net keeping you honest

The more advanced finishing drill. Coach Meech uses the net as your accountability.

Get low, right underneath the rim. Jump and touch the net first. Touching the net forces you to extend the ball up. Then bring it back down slightly and shoot your reverse layup.

Which hand you use depends on which way you're facing. If your left hand's on the outside, that's the hand you finish with. Face the other way, right hand's on the outside, so it's a right-hand reverse.

There's a third spot too. Turn and stand right in the middle, and use both hands. Jump, touch, finish left. Jump, touch, finish right.

Three spots. Try to make five layups in each.

The thumb tip that fixes your touch

When you go up and under, spin your thumb toward the inside. So if it's your left hand, go up and spin that hand in toward the rim. That puts spin on the ball so it comes off the backboard toward the rim.

Spin it the other way and the ball hits the glass and goes away from the rim. You always want it going toward the rim.

5. Wall touch crossovers

Most of you can already dribble somewhat. Back and forth, sure. Coach Meech wants you to push past that a little.

For beginners just starting out, find a wall. Cross the ball over, then touch the wall with your free hand. Ball's in your left? Cross, touch with your left. Cross back from right to left, touch with your right. Touch after every single crossover.

You're working both hands, and you're working how fast the ball moves, so you get used to controlling it while you're doing a bunch of stuff at once.

He has you go for 30 seconds, then rest 30. While you're going, count how many touches you can string together. Do it with crossovers in front, between the legs, and behind the back.

Don't go slow, either. He's clear on that. Nice and slow is too easy. Anybody can figure that out. Push yourself as fast as you can, because that's how you actually get better.

For more off-hand work, try our weak hand basketball drills.

6. Floor touches on the move

Next step up from the wall: touch the floor, and move.

Get low. Cross the ball, touch the floor with your other hand, and keep walking the whole way up the court. Start on the baseline. Go to half court and back, or go full court. Doesn't matter which.

You're staying low, walking, moving with the ball, and using your off hand at the same time. A lot going on. That's the idea.

Do it three times.

And feel free to switch up the rhythm. You don't have to go cross, cross, cross every time. Cross, touch, between, touch. In and out, cross, touch, between. Freestyle it. Have a little fun with your workouts.

Putting it together

None of this is complicated. That's kind of why it works for beginners. Every drill's got a way to make it harder once it gets boring.

Lock in on the small stuff. Nose under the rim. Thumb in on the reverse. Fast hands on the wall. That's how you start, and then you keep building.

If shooting's your next focus, our basketball shooting form drills workout is a good follow-up. Got a team to make? We've got at-home basketball drills before tryouts too.

And if you're still kind of stuck on where to start, find your training strategy. It's a free training quiz.

FAQ

What are good basketball drills for beginners?

Coach Meech uses six: form shots under the rim, a hop and dribble range drill, backboard tosses into a finish, up and unders touching the net, wall touch crossovers, and walking floor touch crossovers.

Why should beginners shoot form shots so close to the rim?

With your nose under the rim, you can't get the ball over the front without real arc and a wrist flick. You build that habit close, then carry it out to longer shots.

How do I know how far out to shoot?

Use the hop and dribble drill. Make three from a spot, back up, repeat. The first spot where you start missing more than usual is where you stop and work.

Do I need to jump on short shots?

Not in the paint. Going to your toes and flicking your wrist is enough. Once you get out to the mid-range, you'll probably want to jump into it.

How do I make up and under layups go in more?

Spin your thumb toward the inside as you reverse it. The ball comes off the backboard toward the rim. Turn it the other way and it kicks away.

How long should I do ball handling drills?

For the wall drill, 30 seconds on and 30 seconds off, for each crossover type: in front, between the legs, behind the back. For the floor touch drill, three trips, half court or full court.

Is it okay to dribble slow when I'm learning?

Nope, not according to Coach Meech. Going slow is too easy and anybody can do it. Go fast. Like, as fast as you can and still keep it. That's where the getting better happens.

What should I work on first?

Depends on your game. Take the free training quiz and find your training strategy to see.